Aqua Illinois Announces $30.1 Million in Capital Investment

New investment follows $27.7 million spent in previous two years

April 01, 2014 12:56 PM Eastern Daylight Time

KANKAKEE, Ill.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aqua Illinois (Aqua) today announced plans to complete $30.1 million in
improvements and repairs to drinking water and wastewater systems in
communities throughout the state in 2014. Projects include treatment
plant improvements, water main and meter replacements, and other
infrastructure projects that are critical to delivering quality water,
providing reliable service and protecting public health.

Some of the capital projects planned for this year include:

$8.6 million in water main replacements and system reinforcements in
Kankakee County to ensure reliable service, improve water quality, and
enhance fire protection.

$6.6 million to construct a new water main between the villages of
Bourbonnais and Manteno along Illinois State Route 45 for the purposes
of bolstering the water distribution system grid in northern Kankakee
County as well as for improvements surrounding the I-57 interchange
project.

$2 million in improvements to Aqua’s Kankakee water treatment plant to
add redundancy, which will increase reliability, and ensure
consistency of water quality for customers.

$1.5 million to install new water mains, fire hydrants, and water
services associated with the Illinois State Route 17 road
reconstruction project.

$2.6 million in Qualifying Infrastructure Plant Surcharge Program
(QIP) improvements to reduce inflow and infiltration in the wastewater
collection system and replace manholes to improve conveyance of
wastewater to treatment facilities in Aqua’s Ellwood Greens,
Candlewick, Willowbrook, and University Park divisions.

$2 million in QIP improvements to upgrade and replace water mains,
fire hydrants, main valves, and customer service lines to ensure
reliable water service and improve system pressure and flow in Aqua’s
Oak Run, Willowbrook, Candlewick, Fairhaven, and University Park
Divisions.

$3.2 million throughout the state in metering system replacements to
ensure accurate readings and customer bills.

Other enhancements to water and wastewater systems, including
equipment replacements to ensure the long-term viability of the
facilities.

“Aqua’s capital program is consistent with the type of improvements that
the federal government says is required of the country’s aging drinking
water and wastewater systems,” said Aqua Illinois President Terry
Rakocy. “According to the Environmental Protection Agency, across the
United States there are $384 billion in anticipated costs for repairs
and replacement of transmission and distribution pipes, storage and
treatment equipment and projects that are necessary to deliver safe
supplies of drinking water over the next 20 years. EPA’s latest Clean
Watersheds Needs Survey (2004) estimated $202.5 billion as the amount of
a nationwide capital investment needed to control wastewater pollution
of publicly owned wastewater treatment works for up to a 20-year period.
The improvements Aqua is making will help ensure the continuation of
reliable water and wastewater service and quality drinking water and
adequate water pressure and flows for fire protection for Aqua
customers.”

Last year, the company completed $13 million in infrastructure
improvements across the state, after investing $14.7 million of similar
improvements in 2012.

Aqua Illinois provides water and wastewater service to more than 63,000
homes and businesses in Boone, Champaign, Cook, Dekalb, Kane, Kankakee,
Knox, Lake, Ogle, Vermilion, Will, and Winnebago counties throughout the
State of Illinois. Visit AquaAmerica.com
for more information, or follow Aqua on Facebook at facebook.com/MyAquaAmerica
and on Twitter at @MyAquaAmerica.